the story
by blondekunoichi
Summary: When Sakura's taking the night shift during a bad storm in the hospital, she tells a peculiar story to her littlest patients in the pediatric ward. But maybe, they're not the only ones listening....


**Oneshot: **(Mild) SasuSaku--Theme: Angst/Suspense

_The Story_

* * *

A loud clap of thunder made the petite medic-nin jump from her place by the window. She shivered; the hospital could get a little creepy at night, especially during a thunder storm. Tucking a lock of long pink hair behind her ear, the young woman made her way to the pediatric ward.

As Sakura opened the door, she could already hear the small whimpers from inside. Smiling softly she stepped into the large room that held the youngest of the children patients.

"Sakura-sama!"

"It's scary!"

"Sakura-sama it's too dark in here…"

Flicking on a nearby lamp, the beautiful pink-haired medic smiled warmly at her favorite patients. "Now what's all the fuss about?" she asked, seeing as all the children were wide awake from the storm thundering outside the closed windows. Large eyes stared back at her. The child nearest to her, named Juri, reached out her small bandaged hand and tugged on the side of Sakura's nurse uniform.

"Sakuwa-sama…it too scawy in hewe…" Sakura gently ruffled the little 6-year-old's short mouse brown hair. Large blue eyes gazed up at her, obviously frightened by the loud claps of thunder. "It's alright Juri. The thunder can't hurt you." The small child still looked unconvinced. As she gazed around the room, Sakura found the similar expression on nearly all the children's faces. Picking up the little girl, Sakura gestured all eight children to come on the bed. Placing Juri in her lap, she beckoned the children to come around her.

"Thunder cannot hurt you in here little ones." She assured them, smiling warmly at them. "Thunder is only sound. It can't hurt you. Lightening cannot touch you in here."

A little boy, Kurro, crawled over and kneeled close to her side. He was quite fond of Sakura, and said woman had to admit that he reminded her very much of her blue-eyed, blonde haired teammate and friend. "Sakura-chan (a habit he had picked up hearing Naruto call her by that so many times) will you tell us a story?"

Sakura stroked his hair as he snuggled into her side. "Of course sweetheart." Out of the corner she saw the little silver-haired boy smile a little too friendly. The beautiful medic looked around expectedly at the seven other children.

"What kind of story would you liked?"

The suggestions came pouring out.

"A love story!" chirped a young seven-year-old girl named Kio.

"One about a panda!" that was Juri.

"Nooo tell us one about Neji-kun!" squealed Haruka. Sakura smothered a giggle. Neji had fan girls of all ages. Haruka was one of his biggest. "No no no! Tell one about Kakashi-sensei!" another little girl, this one age nine, named Suki piped up. Apparently Neji wasn't the only male she knew that had fans. Before any more suggestions about Kakashi or Neji could be made, Sakura quieted the now excited group. "How about…an old legend?" she asked.

All the children fell silent until Kurro spoke up. "What kind of legend Sakura-chan?"

The kunoichi smiled sadly.

"Well, it's a story from when I was little, a bit older than most of you." She recalled thoughtfully. The youngsters listened eagerly. "Once, there were two dragons; one ruled over the land by day, and the other by night. The dragon who watched over the earth during the day was named Kokoro and the other was named Takeshi. Kokoro and Takeshi were best friends, like brothers. Kokoro was the color of golden sun rays with eyes as blue as the clear sky and a kind and loving nature. He watched over all that emerged during the day. And when the sun set, Takeshi roamed the sky and looked after all that dwelled in the night. Takeshi was black as the night itself and deep blood red eyes…"

The children were too engrossed in the story to notice the young medic's shiver as she described the Dragon of the Night.

"…He and Kokoro were complete opposites; dark and light, kind and cold, yin and yang. The two competed against one another all the time, any chance they could get. They were rivals, but they cared for each other greatly. The moon spirit Mitsuko watched over them from her place in the sky at night. During the day, she would transform into a beautiful lady. Kokoro was deeply in love with her and knew of her identity. Again and again he tried to win over her affections but Mitsuko turned him down. She was in love with Takeshi and even though she thought fondly of Kokoro, she did not love him the way she loved Takeshi.

She was always watching Takeshi as he guarded the dwellers of the night, and shined as brightly for him as she could. But Takeshi was so set on his duty; he did not pay attention to the beautiful moon spirit who had devoted herself so greatly to him…" her voice shook slightly with her words. "This made Mitsuko very sad…

One evening as the Sun set and the moon was just about to rise, Kokoro noticed a strange new creature emerge from within the shadows of the land. It was a long ugly creature with yellow eyes and a sinister look about its face. It hissed as it moved."

The young woman's voice grew cold as she described the sinister character. "His name was Orochi and he was an ugly serpent-like creature. He took pleasure in breaking others down and stealing their life force. And he was old. Kokoro warned Mitsuko about the newcomer to their land. He warned her that Orochi was a very powerful demon. But just as the two were about to warn Takeshi, Orochi got to him first."

A loud clap of thunder sounded just outside the window and a flash of lightening lit up the pink-haired kunoichi's emerald eyes. They glowed with a sudden look of hatred.

"Takeshi was always searching for a way to gain more power after the betrayal of his twin brother Ko. Ko had turned Takeshi's heart to ice, leaving him with damaged soul that his friends would have successfully restored if Orochi had not snaked his way into their lives. So one night, Takeshi left within the shadows of darkness to follow Orochi." She explained. "Orochi had promised him he would grow much stronger and gain the power to finally take down his brother. Mitsuko begged Takeshi to stay but he refused. That night, the dark dragon blocked out the moon spirit, enveloping her in a dark shadow of sorrow. Kokoro made a promise to the moon spirit that he would bring her Takeshi back for her…"

Sakura did well to hide the tremor in her voice. She held little Juri and Kurro tighter. "So the great Sun Dragon of Day went after his best friend to try and persuade him to come back. But Takeshi grew angry and challenged Kokoro, his long time best friend, to a death match. He wanted to sever the bond they had created." Sakura paused in her storytelling to take a short breath. "This stirred a sudden spark of anger and sadness with the usually kind and boisterous Dragon of Day. His golden scales turned the color of flames and his eyes glowed a bright red. But he was not the only one whose power had been unleashed. Orochi had poisoned Takeshi and once Kokoro's inner strength had been unleashed, so had Takeshi's. His scales changed from a jet black to a dark purple and he was engulfed in black flames-"

"But Sakura-chan if they were best friends why were they trying to kill each other?" Kurro interrupted suddenly. A murmur of the same question rippled through the rest of the children. Sakura gazed down sadly at her small patient. "Because Takeshi was a selfish fool…"

"The two mighty dragons fought and fought until finally a large explosion knocked Kokoro unconscious. Takeshi was badly beaten as well but still had enough strength to finish him off. He chose not to and instead left, immersing himself in a world of shadows. Mitsuko called upon Hitsuko, the spirit of Wind to go and see what had become of her friends. He only returned with Kokoro. Badly injured, Kokoro was forced to transform into his mortal form, a fox. But he promised Mitsuko that he would bring Takeshi back for her no matter what. And together they swore they would become stronger. They promised one another that they would not stop until their friend was home and Orochi was dead…The two great beings decided that until balance was restored, they would stay in their mortal forms until Takeshi joined them once again."

As Sakura finished her story, a single tear escaped her glassy jade eyes. A small hand reached up to wipe away the offending droplet. Sakura looked down to see little Kurro smiling softly at her. "It's okay Sakura-chan." She smiled sweetly at the little boy and felt a tug at her sleeve. She looked down at Juri. "So Takeshi did not come back Sakura-sama?" she asked, her blue eyes large with question. Sakura gave her a sad smile.

"Not yet."

Once Sakura had tucked all the children back in their beds, she turned on the small sparrow nightlight and quietly closed the door. The beautiful medic walked down the empty hallway as the storm outside continued to rumble outside. A flash of lightening illuminated the floor, causing her shadow to twist suddenly. She raised sad eyes to the dark sky. The clouds covered the moon tonight.

"When will you come home Takeshi?" she wondered quietly. "Don't you know that we need you here with us?"

* * *

Outside the hospital a lone figure hid himself within the dense braches of a tree. The thunder was loud and the rain soaked through his clothes but he didn't seem to pay it any mind. His eyes were fixed on the woman inside the building, closing the door to the pediatric ward. He watched as a little boy turned in his bed, trying to get comfortable. Suddenly, the boy sat up and looked around, alert. His wide eyes stared straight ahead, out the window to where the man hidden among the leaves. A flash of lightening illuminated the sky. If it was possible the boy's eyes became larger. The figure watched as the boy let out a scream, awaking the rest of the children. In a flash Sakura entered the room and was by his side, holding him and calming him with soothing words.

Sasuke watched as the boy continued to stare straight at him as he spoke to Sakura in a frantic voice. Jade eyes followed the child's gaze, searching to see what the young boy was seeing. The missing nin closed his eyes, deactivating the Sharingan.

"But it was there! I swear Sakura-chan! There was a pair of red eyes right there!" Kurro cried, pointing outside. The other children looked out the window, trying to see the eyes the Kurro was speaking of. Sakura stiffened and stood, coming close to the window to focus on the tree outside. Another flash of lightening illuminated her vision and her eyes strained to see anything out of the ordinary. But she saw nothing. She reached out with her chakra to try and find another chakra signature or aura but found no trace of anything that was or had been there.

"Kurro there's nothing out there. You were just excited from the story." She assured him, softly stroking his hair and placing a kiss atop his silver-haired head. "Now go back to sleep."

But as she reached the door, she glanced outside again, just to be safe. Still, she saw nor felt any presence. She again bid the children good night and closed the door. This time, she stopped in the hallway and stared hard at the dark tree outside. _There's nothing there_. She told herself silently. _Kurro was still thinking about the story that's all._ Still, the young medic couldn't help but glare at the tree. A very loud clap of thunder made her jump. Lightening instantly followed and for a spilt second, the beautiful kunoichi thought she saw a pair of blood red eyes. But in an instant they vanished, as did the man they belonged to.

* * *

**Update: **Hi everyone just wanted to update for now. I feel like such an idiot not knowing what button to click on to edit this thing....another blonde moment sorry. I also fixed the end since a few people pointed out that the last sentence didn't really make any sense. Thank you guys, I probably wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't told me. Thanks a bunch!! Anyway, just to clarify, there will be no sequel to this story (my apologies). I just kinda thought of this one day when I was watching either an Avatar rerun or reading something about dragons, I don't remember. Lol. So, sorry but this is the only one _of The _Story, however, I will be working on either a SasuSaku or NaruSaku oneshot (maybe a possible two-shot if I feel up to it). That should be coming up pretty soon (I hope)-and if not please excuse my laziness.

Once again thank you for everyone who reviexed (and helped me correct) my story. Your opinions are greatly appreciated. And if anyone has a request on a story they would like me to write, please don't hesitate to ask. Thank you guys!! =)

xoxo blondekunoichi


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